There are a lot of people, including the Government now mentioning that “we are getting back to normal”. The problem with that statement is trying to understand what is now actually normal, given everything that has occurred during the pandemic.

The “normal” situation before the Virus hit is no longer there and the “new normal” is now real and is the “now normal”. Unfortunately, whilst getting to the “now normal” situation a lot of things have had to change, peoples mindset have had to evolve and there have been a lot of casualties both human and business along the way and it is by no stretch of the imagination over yet.

Both large and small businesses have and are still struggling with the adaption of the various social distancing regulations and the local lockdown procedures. Some companies as DW Sports, Debenhams, Laura Ashley, Genting Casino and Antler to name but a few of the larger organisation have closed branches or gone into administration. There are also thousands of smaller retailers and sole traders that have or are close to closing permanently even though they will have had previously a strong and outstanding track record. 

All these institutions must now reassess the situation and their position in the marketplace. As a decision maker in these organisations you cannot afford to think” we survived, and we will now be alright”. With the “now normal” working environment you cannot trust in good luck and you need to keep altering and addressing any variations required to the applied local risk assessments and the impact of any of these on customers is vitally important. The wearing of masks for example in premises is now compulsory, although when it first came out there was a rebellion against the ruling and some people fought against it causing a public order issue. Businesses must adapt to dealing with customers who both accidentally and intentionally break Covid -19 guidelines. These breaches put their businesses at risk of being fined and locked down for the necessary period. The current reduction of police support also places more reliance on their security staff when detaining suspected criminals or ejecting members that are not complying to the rules.

The installation of additional security measure such as CCTV, thermal temperature monitoring and personal attack alarms are but a few of the necessary measure required in the “now normal” business environment. Identifying and tracking customers and clients as they initially queue to enter you premises wearing a face mask is a problem. The retail and some of the leisure industry have no authority to ask a person to remove their mask for the camera however, casino and premises where identification of the members is required before they can be allowed in is another matter. This is a very short mask removal, but it does allow the business to confirm the identity of the person before entry is allowed. Other premises will now have to clearly display the new conditions before entering their premises and this in turn provides support for the security staff when preventing entry to a potential customer due to breaches.

Application of the law was tactfully applied by businesses in most areas and it is now accepted as part of the “new normal”. However, as the restrictions go further, and last longer there will be more civil disorder which will lead to the need for stronger Government action, this unfortunately, will have a further detrimental effect on business both in the retail and leisure industry. People will not queue for a long period of time, especially as the weather changes so bear this in mind or your customers will move on.

Reopening and the social distancing requirements reduced the number of people you could have in the business premises and in some cases, it was the immediate death nell of others that could not facilitate because of the lack of space or the design of the building.

The public will venture out and will still go in shops and leisure facilities, but they will be out of their comfortable safe zone and they will not be loitering for long. So fast and efficient service will be needed however, as we know the customer now has a shorter shopping time window and any USP needs to be seen and applied immediately.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic both the retail and leisure industry had started to struggle. The high street shops had started to disappear due to on line shopping, pubs and off licenses had started to blame cheap alcohol sales from the likes of Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons’, and the betting shops and casinos had the online gaming industry as a competitor. Since the lockdown, the retail industry has seen an increase of around 30% in online shopping whilst the gaming business has increase by around 10-15%.

The good news is - the marketplace, whether it be retail, or the leisure industry will survive but with a more diverse and cost driven structure. The companies will have thought outside the box, managed risk, pooled their resources and started to integrate their operation. Improving efficiency with the aim of getting better results from the reduced number of staff or selling more and making a better profit from the same number of staff. Integration of the security systems, access control, intruder and other technologies secures your business and lowers the costs.

It is no good sitting back and believing “it will be all over by Christmas”, that is what they said and believed at the start of WW1 and that last four years!

We at Brock Business Support are always here to give advice and offer a solution, remember the “now normal” will affect your business as well. Give us a call at your convenience.

David Brock CMgr. CMI

Brock Business Support Sept.2020

If you have any questions or enquires please contact  - dave.brock@brockbusinesssupport.com or please feel free to use the button below.